Sunday, January 13, 2013

Thankful for the Encouragement

Since we’re on a process break—though I promise I’ll soon
return to my story about the Beanery and its residents—I thought I’d interject
a column today in thanks to some kind recognition.

If you do much reading around the genealogy-blogging world,
you’ve surely noticed the recent flurry of awards recognizing writers for
various aspects of their online writing. Some of those writers, last week, were
kind enough to include A Family Tapestry
in their honors. For this, I am most grateful—you’ll never know how timely this
boost has been!

In the spirit of the award, she then turned around and
passed the award along to three other bloggers: Jen of Ancestral Breezes, Gini of Ginisology,
and—wait? Is that? No, it couldn’t be! Oh, blush!—this very blog, A Family Tapestry.

While I’m enjoying having some fun with that nomination—and believe
me, Jana, I could use the smiles right now—I do appreciate the vote of
confidence, and as you did, I would like, in turn, to pass the honor along.

4 Let the blog(s) you
have chosen know that you have given them this award and share the ‘rules’ with
them

5 You can now also
join our Facebook group – click ‘like’ on this page ‘Blog of the Year 2012’
Award Facebook group and then you can share your blog with an even wider
audience

6 As a winner of the
award – please add a link back to the blog that presented you with the award –
and then proudly display the award on your blog and sidebar … and start
collecting stars…When you begin, you will receive the “1 star” award. Every
time you are given the award by another blog, you can add another star! There
are a total of 6 stars to collect.

A Great Reader Is…

No sooner had Jana kindly awarded me with this designation, when
another simpatico blogger must have sensed the need to send some kudos my way. Mariann
Regan of Into the Briar Patch named
me, along with several bloggers I admire, for the Wonderful Team Member Readership Award.

I like what the originator of this award wrote:

“As bloggers, we are
also readers. That is a part of blogging as listening is a part of speaking.”

Here are the requirements to participate in passing this
award along:

(i) Don’t forget to
thank the nominator and link back to their site as well;

(ii) Display the award
logo on your blog;

(iii) Nominate no more
than fourteen readers of your blog you appreciate and leave a comment on their
blogs to let them know about the award;

(iv) Finish this
sentence: “A great reader is…”

In my opinion, a great
reader is someone who can read between the lines, picking up the nuances to say
what has yet to be said by leaving comments that make each blog post what it
was really meant to be.

Without the kindness of those who read A Family Tapestry, generously adding their comments as co-creators
of this dialog, it would be a chilly and quiet corner of the cyberworld here, indeed.
An audience breathes life into the actors. Writers may not stand in front of
their readers like players on a stage, but the dynamics remain the same.

While I’m thankful for each of you who read and comment at A Family Tapestry—in case you’ve missed
it, I did post my thanks to each of you who shared the conversation with me in
2012 here—I’d like to pass along special thanks to a few fellow bloggers who
have been most encouraging.

First, of course, I want to thank my first inspiration and
role model in the quest to save orphan photos, “Far Side of Fifty” who writes,
among other blogs, Forgotten Old Photos.
Of course, Far Side plainly declares that she doesn’t “do awards,” so I can’t
officially nominate her. But I can at
least give her an honorable mention! Her work is certainly worth that. And
while she doesn’t accept awards, she does explain, “award me a comment!” If you
have never visited her blog, please take that opportunity now. You won’t regret
it—and may find yourself joining her 1,696 followers.

I’m grateful for these bloggers who have partnered with me
over the past year, and wish to pass this award on to them as well:

Someone else must have decided to make it a threesome. Along
with Jana and Mariann, Michelle Taggart decided to bestow some genealogy link
love, too. Michelle, I know you are busy preparing for the Salt Lake Institute
of Genealogy this week, but when you get a chance to catch up on your blog
reading, I want to say “Thank you” for giving me the Liebster Blog Award.

The Liebster award is one way of showing appreciation for
the “dearest” of the blogs in my reading list. Like other awards, this one
comes with its own set of requirements of those nominated:

1. Link back to
the blog who nominated you
2. Nominate 5 blogs with less than 200 followers
3. Let nominees know by leaving a comment at their site
4. Add the award image to your site.

Here are my five nominees for the Liebster Blog Award. Each
of these are bloggers whose work and ways are particularly appreciated:

Perhaps you recall that, at the beginning of this post, I
mentioned the Blog of the Year 2012
award, but failed to mention just who
I intended to nominate. There’s a reason for such coy maneuvers. No, I’m not
shy—even though there are so many inspiring blogs out there.

It’s just that, before I could get busy with my response,
yet another blogger popped up and bestowed the same award. And yes, since we
can collect those stars, I can now display two! Thank you to Sharn White of Family Convictions—A Convict Ancestor for nominating A Family Tapestry!

In turn, I’d like to pass along this Blog of the Year 2012 award to some of the writers who inspire,
motivate, and challenge me. Please join me in recognizing the contributions of
the following bloggers to the genealogy and family history blogging community:

Thank you Jacqui for the honor. Even though I may not comment every day, I do read all of your posts. I enjoy your stories and your determination to sort through all your research. I nominated you for the Liebster Award this last week as well. Whoever nominated you gave you a better deal, I had to nominate 11. :) At present, I will be accepting your honor but I don't think I will be continuing it. I can't decide whether or not I want abstain from posting awards like your friend Far Side of Fifty. Feel free to comment anytime! That to me is the "real" reward.

I have enjoyed your blog postings and have learn quite a bit by following your blog this past year. You have a "natural ability" to describe procedures and techniques that I enjoy. The story alway has a smooth flow to it. CarolinaGuy

Jacqi,I so appreciated your lovely words and praises. Thank you for the best wishes. My latest biopsy was sudden and have to admit I wasn't scared this time about the outbreak of the news while waiting to find out. I have accepted the freezes and biopsy's as a normal part of the many times and visits to the dermatologist. He has told me too many times that I will fight it the rest of my life. The news of Basal Cell is always better that the news of Malignant any day. Thank you for the award, your very sweet! I read way more than I comment back and I am sorry for that. I know how I like people to come read and comment just like all of us with blogs do. It makes us feel there is a reason we share with and meet other bloggers. I also don't post on my own five blogs like I should. Most of my thoughts on my main blog come to me on my long walks. I hope to do better on all of them this year.Thank you again, Jacqi, and for your support and kind words.Betty

Betty, everything will come with time. Sometimes, the posting just has to come with the right season. Sometimes, we talk about life...and sometimes, we just need to live it. Your reflections on your own journey have been an inspiration to so many others.

Aww shucks, Jacqi. Considering me one of your favorite readers is the best compliment. Thank-you. While I'm not one to accept awards, I'm grabbing this one with gusto. Just know that if I were handing out awards, you'd be at the top of every single one.

Well, shucks. I've not been at peak "commenting" (and researching) form lately - but I read everything you write - it always makes me think (a real plus to me!) and it is always interesting, you write so well!

About Me

It is my contention that, after a lifetime, one of the greatest needs people have is to be remembered. They want to know: have I made a difference?
I write because I can't keep for myself the gifts others have entrusted to me. Through what I've already been given--though not forgetting those to whom I must pass this along--from family I receive my heritage; through family I leave a legacy. With family I weave a tapestry. These are my strands.